Looks like we may be losing a local trail here in OK

Up in Tulsa, news is reporting the private land owner that part of the trail runs on is in the process of starting development of an outlet mall.

While it sucks to see that, what has me now is all the users of the trail system saying they are going to stop the sale and development of the land so the trail stays while not even noticing that the trail runs onto private property and that the property owner has been kind enough to allow it to do so for years now.

From reports, several years ago stipulations were put into the zoning act to put a natural buffer zone right off of the property line so part of the trails could stay.

I have been keeping up with it, just find it odd that everyone loved the trail as much as they do but waited until now to try and stop the development (which I don't see happening since the land is already zoned, the owner is the developer, and it will bring a bunch of tax base into the city).

Anyone else ever seen this in their area or dealt with anything like this, what kind of outcome did you see?

From what I understand, that land that the trail extended to was private land, and rights were never truly established to operate a trail system beyond a certain border, however they were. In my opinion, said land owner has every right to develop that land. If this is for Turkey Mountain. Several of the stories cite "unofficial" and "improperly created" trails. It sucks to lose trails, but from a land owner stand point, it really doesn't matter what we think as riders. If what I've read is true about the trail being cut in on his land without permission, and not being an actual leg of the trail system, that should never have happened. Now days, most developers are cautious of their developments and they're more nature savvy than before. Hopefully the guys putting this plan together will think about the area around them and be careful with the building phase.

The best journeys answer questions that in the beginning, you didn't even think to ask

That is what is so surprising to me is that the trail users are going to the town hall meetings and setting up petitions (which do nothing) to try and stop the development and or trying to not allow the zoning changes.

All of that should have been thought about years ago when someone decided "hmm, maybe we should add some gnarly trails into this other land over here" and went that route.

Then they said they wanted to buy it but not at the $3 million price tag the land owner wants, if the trail means that much then find a way to make the purchase.

it is all a moot point though, City of Tulsa released that a vast portion of those trails are on private land and potentially up for development. If this mall goes thru I don't see much hope as the other land owners will follow suit and the money and will sell out in order to cash in while they can.

Get with the land owner and suggest that the trail head/end be used to bring people to the Mall. Basically, use the MTB as an amusement attraction for the Mall. Once the mall is built and excellent bike shop will move in and from there on a beautiful relationship will bloom with the land owner, the municipality and the community. It's always a possibility, but you'll never know if you don't try!